


Independence Day

by Rosie2009



Series: Descendants Fanfiction [27]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies), Disney - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-06-13
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:41:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24703966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosie2009/pseuds/Rosie2009
Summary: Mal, Evie, Jay, and Carlos all go to see Jafar, Grimhilde the Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil. The visit does not go well, but each of the VKs learn something wholly valuable. Core Four fluff and tons of angst and feels.
Relationships: Carlos de Vil & Cruella de Vil, Evie & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Evil Queen (Disney), Evie & Jay & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay & Mal & Carlos de Vil, Evie & Jay (Disney), Evie & Mal (Disney), Jafar & Jay (Disney), Jay & Carlos De Vil, Jay & Mal (Disney), Mal & Carlos de Vil
Series: Descendants Fanfiction [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1252532
Comments: 3
Kudos: 33





	Independence Day

“Gosh, am I nervous,” Carlos spoke up with a chuckle, and Mal looked back at him and Jay with small grin as she squeezed Evie’s very sweaty hand in her own.

“C’mon, bro, she can’t hurt you anymore. You’re an adult,” Jay replied, ruffling the de Vil boy’s hair. Carlos furrowed his brow, fixing his hair back into place as he shot a dirty look in Jay’s direction.

“I’d beg to differ with that statement,” Evie pointed out with a slight laugh and Mal grinned at the girl as she tried to keep her grip on Evie’s hand as steady as it had been when they were in the limo. She really had nothing to worry about considering the fact that Evie had ahold of her so tightly.

“Oh, come on, E. Take it a little easy on them. Everybody knows that boys don’t mature as fast as girls,” Mal pointed out with a teasing smile that was a bit dampened by the entire energy of nervousness and apprehension that seemed to be charging the air around them.

The four VKs had all decided that today was the day, and it was the time to finally do it. They had all gotten into Mal’s purple limo that Ben had purchased for her, and they had headed to the freshly reopened Isle of the Lost to meet Carlos’s, Evie’s, and Jay’s parents for the first time since they had went to Auradon.

Evie was a nervous wreck and had not let go of Mal’s hand the entire trip over. Carlos had been perpetually jabbering, and Jay had been relatively light about the entire situation despite the fact that his jaw had been unnaturally tensed in his times of quiet.

For her part, Mal was nervous for her brothers and sister. She really hoped that their parents had changed like Mal’s father had, but she was scared of more likely possibility that they had not. After all, her father had not actually ever changed in the sense of his feelings toward Mal, and Mal’s mother had not hardly changed and she was morphed into a lizard, so she had additional motivation to change her ways. But Mal did have to give it to her. Maleficent had grown her heart just enough that she could now talk. Unfortunately.

But she knew that Jay, Carlos, and Evie had to do this. They had to have closure that they never had. They didn’t get the same sort of resolve as Mal had. After expressing precisely how she had felt about both parents, Mal had actually gained a father and Mal had turned her mother into a lizard, while Carlos, Evie, and Jay had all left their parents without another word outside of promises of wand-stealing and a small blow-up on Family Day at Auradon Prep.

They needed this visit.

“Where are we meeting them again?” Carlos questioned, and Evie patiently answered him.

“At the top floor of the Bargain Castle.”

“Of course. Where they always met with Maleficent,” Carlos pointed out, and Mal nodded in simple reply.

“Hey, it’s good news, though. We’re here,” Jay announced with a strained enthusiasm that indicated that he was anything but thrilled.

Evie’s hand tightened in Mal’s ridiculously to the point that Mal couldn’t help but wonder if she’d leave bruises in her wake. She could practically feel Carlos’s slight trembling and Jay’s tenseness.

After a long moment of taking in the fearsome sight of her old house, she cleared her throat and looked at the others with a slight smile.

“Well… You ready?” Mal questioned, glancing at all of them and resting her gaze upon Evie finally. Everyone nodded, and Evie’s warm brown eyes bored holes into Mal’s emerald green ones.

Mal tried to send as much love and reassurance as she could possibly muster in one stare, and if Evie’s squeeze to her hand was any indicator, Evie seemed to have gotten the message.

Mal and Evie led the boys in the castle, and they slowly made their way up to the top level. Mal couldn’t help but notice how absolutely nothing had changed in the wake of Maleficent’s capture and transformation into a lizard. Mal was honestly quite surprised that Evil Queen hadn’t tried to take over and change the décor as she had been secretly longing to do for so long.

They made their way up and stopped just outside the door that would lead them to their parents. Evie took a deep breath, and Mal turned to look at the entire group, silently giving them another chance to turn down the visit and flee. Despite their need for this visit, Mal still wanted to give them a chance to escape if they didn’t feel that they were entirely ready.

Jay just nodded to her and Carlos looked at his brother before silently agreeing with the former thief. Mal looked to Evie, and Evie nodded slightly, pressing the side of her head to Mal’s in a manner that was reminiscent of an embrace. She couldn’t hug Mal effectively because her hand was so firmly wedged in Mal’s.

“Okay. Let’s go in,” Mal whispered before taking hold of the doorknob and turning it carefully.

As soon as she opened the door, Mal was flooded with all manners of memories, and absolutely none of them were good ones. Mal swallowed hard and pushed aside her own feelings in favor of offering as much support as she could give to her family.

There at the table were Jafar, Grimhilde the Evil Queen, and Cruella de Vil, all sitting there and looking at them in something unreadable. But Mal couldn’t help but think that whatever this emotion might be, it couldn’t be a good sign.

Evie stepped in next to Mal, and the two boys moved in after them, looking at the three older villains before them. There was a long moment of silence, and the VKs were honestly not sure what to think until they all put on their biggest, cheese-eating grins as they beckoned the group to come in.

“Come in, kids, come in!” Jafar greeted, and Grimhilde and Cruella nodded eagerly, pointing at the seats before them.

“Yes, yes, we’ve been waiting for you!” Grimhilde expressed, full of what Mal could easily pinpoint as a much too cheery and what she assumed to be a fake enthusiasm and happiness. But she didn’t say a word in concern to her thoughts, and instead squeezed Evie’s hand a bit tighter in reassurance.

“For quite some time, in fact,” Cruella muttered, and Grimhilde jabbed her in an attempt to make shut her up. Mal raised an eyebrow slightly, but the four VKs came in the room and sat down before their parents.

“Oh, Evie! You look so,” Grimhilde hesitated as she gazed at Evie, taking in what she could see of the girl’s full appearance, and Evie puffed up just the slightest bit beneath the woman’s gaze. Finally, after a long while of staring, Grimhilde mustered a small smile.

“You look so _different_!” Evie immediately deflated at the statement, and Mal felt a small surge of protectiveness overcome her as she tried to hold back the urge to glare at the villains with her infamous green glow.

“Yes, being in Auradon hasn’t helped you kids a smidge with your looks. In fact, I think they’ve been rubbing off on you,” Cruella told them with a raise of her eyebrows, and Grimhilde shot her a nasty look, quite obviously attempting yet again to make her shut her mouth.

“So! Mal, how is your mother?” Grimhilde asked with that stiff little grin, and Mal knew she was just being a suck-up as usual. Always trying to make good with the most powerful person in the room. But she decided she would put away her inherent knowledge of these people and at least try to get along with them for the length of this visit.

“She’s doing alright. Y’know, still a lizard from our last run-in, but hey, she’s getting better. Keeping her in a glass tank in the dungeon seems to be helping her out quite a bit,” Mal replied nonchalantly, and they all looked utterly shaken by Mal’s seeming indifference to the entire ordeal.

After a long moment, Grimhilde just shook her head, turning to the rest of the kids, and Mal resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She could see who obviously had become the leader in Maleficent’s absence.

“What have you kids been doing all this time?” Grimhilde questioned, clasping her hands before her, and Evie looked at Mal with something between trepidation and excitement at the fact that her mother actually seemed interested in something that she was doing.

“You know, during all this time that we’ve been stuck on this dreadful island,” Jafar pointed out, and Cruella nodded with her lips pursed a bit.

Evie looked uncertainly at the others, not sure whether she should start their side of the conversation or not, but after they just stared at her expectantly, she decided that she would go ahead and begin their answering.

“Well, we’ve been quite busy actually. Umm,” Evie hesitated for a moment, collecting herself, and Mal tightened her grip on Evie’s hand slightly to encourage her. Evie glanced at her gratefully before straightening a bit.

“I’ve begun my own fashion line in Auradon and have been designing clothes for a while now,” Evie admitted, and Jafar as well as Cruella nodded easily. However, Grimhilde was not nearly as impressed. Her eyes were a bit wide as she took in her daughter, but she eventually shook her head with a slight smile, trying to muster some semblances of sweetness.

“Oh… Well, that’s… Interesting,” Grimhilde expressed, and Evie just smiled barely, knowing that her mother was very much not impressed with what she had been doing.

“And I’ve even gotten my own starter castle,” Evie added somewhat proudly, and Mal grinned in spite of herself, knowing how much it had meant to Evie to have the ability to purchase a house.

Grimhilde immediately looked much more interested as soon as the word “castle” had entered the conversation.

“A castle, you say?”

“Oh, I call it a starter castle. It’s kind of more of a house?” Evie finished with a bit of a question in her voice as she saw Grimhilde’s eyes narrow. Mal shared a glance with Jay, silently signaling him to do something about this situation as Mal just settled for placing her arm around Evie’s shoulders and getting a bit more comfortable in her seat.

“But it’s a big house!” Evie assured her mother, tumbling over herself in her haste to explain. Grimhilde just raised an eyebrow judgmentally, and Jay cleared his throat, interrupting Evie so that she didn’t have to continue in this horridly awkward conversation with her mother.

Evie looked to Jay thankfully and he offered her the slightest of winks before meeting his dad’s eyes. Jafar leaned closer with a grin that unfortunately came off as more of a grimace than an expression of happiness. Mal just gazed at him with one eyebrow raised, unimpressed with the man’s attempts at being civil.

“Well, I’ve graduated from Auradon Prep, and I’m planning to go to college so I can eventually play Tourney professionally,” Jay told them, and Jafar narrowed his eyes as he eyed Jay in confusion.

“What’s a Tourney?” Jafar questioned cluelessly, and Jay furrowed his brow as he tried to think of the best way to explain it.

“Uh… You play it with a stick and a ball and there’s a bunch of flips and stunts you’ve got to pull off to get the ball in the other team’s net,” Jay explained, and Jafar withdrew a bit in disgust.

“So, it’s a game?”

“I guess. It’s technically called a sport, though,” Jay informed his father, and Jafar wrinkled his nose as he considered Jay’s words.

“Huh. I was always thinking you’d own a pawn shop or something. Y’know, where you could sell all of your stolen stuff like your dad,” Jafar explained with a cheery grin, and Jay lost all semblances of a positive expression as he eyed Jafar as if he had grown three additional heads.

Cruella rolled her eyes as she looked at the father and son duo and then she looked to her son.

“So, what’ve you been doing, Carlos?” Cruella questioned, and Carlos flinched a bit at the sound of his name on her tongue. He mustered the slightest bits of a smile as he looked at her, not quite able to form words.

However, he straightened just a bit as he felt Evie’s hand on his knee and Jay’s elbow resting on the back of his chair. He felt the slightest bits of Mal’s fingers touching his shoulder around Evie’s shoulders, and he found that he was filled with much more confidence as a result of their physical support.

“Oh, well… I’m in my junior year of high school at Auradon Prep,” Carlos began, and Cruella immediately looked lost. Carlos’s eyes widened in recognition as he remembered that the Isle’s high school system was set up differently from that of Auradon’s.

“I’ve got one more year of school before I graduate,” Carlos clarified, and Cruella nodded, looking much more aware of the situation.

“And after I finish school, I’m going to go and study to be a veterinarian,” Carlos told her, suddenly looking very afraid as he nervously anticipated her reaction.

As expected, Cruella’s eyes widened to ridiculous magnitudes.

“What?! Carlos, why would you want to work on those wretched creatures that put us on this terrible Isle in the first place?!” Cruella demanded, and Carlos trembled a bit at her words.

“Well, Mom, not all dogs are like that, and they’re really nice when you get to know the right ones,” Carlos weakly protested, and Cruella withdrew in disgust.

“I thought I raised my baby boy better than this!” Cruella cried, and Mal could feel anger creeping upon her. Mal squeezed Carlos’s shoulder a bit tighter and she increased her grip on Evie as she tried to fight off the beginnings of burning rage.

“Never mind him and that business,” Grimhilde interrupted, waving away Cruella’s concerns flippantly. “Evie, how has your search for a prince been coming along?”

Evie suddenly looked as if she had been slapped, and her hand immediately searched for Mal’s so that she could have some sort of comfort. Mal quickly found Evie’s hand in her own, rubbing her thumb across the back of Evie’s hand softly.

“A--- a prince?” Evie questioned nervously, and Grimhilde just rolled her eyes. Mal narrowed her own orbs as she realized that more and more of the parents’ true colors were starting to show.

“Well, Mommy can’t live in this dump forever. So what about a prince? Have you snagged one yet?” Grimhilde insisted, and Evie swallowed hard, looking at Mal fearfully. Mal just offered warmness and love in her gaze as she encouraged Evie to have the bravery to tell the truth.

Mal knew how hard this was going to be for Evie, because Evie was currently not dating anybody. She was perfectly single since Doug had dumped her, and both girls knew that Grimhilde wouldn’t take that as an answer and would likely throw a fit about it.

“Mommy… I’m… Well, I don’t have a boyfriend right now. I’m actually not dating anyone,” Evie admitted, and Grimhilde’s jaw slackened as she gaped at Evie. It was almost as if she was shocked at the very implication that Evie would have the gall and audacity to go against her wishes.

And that positively infuriated Mal almost to the point of launching across the table and wringing the Evil Queen’s thick neck.

“But what about Jay?! Son, you’re supposed to open a shop like me, and you’re wasting your life on some silly game!” Jafar piped up, and Mal found that she had all that she could take from these people.

Before Jay could answer him, Mal shot up from her seat and slammed her hands on the table, her eyes glowing so brightly that she couldn’t help but wonder if she was going to turn into a dragon then and there inside of that very building.

Jafar, Grimhilde, and Cruella each looked completely terrified at the sight of her, and Mal felt some darker part of her rejoice in their expressions of fear.

“How dare you? How dare you sit there and act like you have any role in or authority over what these three absolutely amazing people do?” Mal questioned accusatorily, and she glared at each one of the parents in turn. Mal finally settled on Grimhilde first, practically snarling at her as she sized her up.

“Evie is a beautiful genius that does not need a prince, a king, a noble, or any sort of royalty to make her worthy. Heck, if she wants, she can never get married for all I care. Because I love her the way she is, and I support whatever she wants as long as she’s happy,” Mal looked down at her sister sweetly, and Evie actually had tears in her eyes at this point as she met Mal’s gaze. The pressure of her mother mixed with Mal’s sweet words was more than Evie could take, and it all had boiled over in hot wetness in her eyes.

Mal then stared down Jafar, causing him to jump a little in his seat.

“Jay is a wonderful sportsman that does not need to steal and does not _have_ to follow in anyone’s footsteps to make him successful. He loves working as part of a team and hanging out with all of his teammates. Jay is happy, so I support him and am happy for him,” Mal firmly told Jafar before looking to Jay, and her brother smiled at her softly, expressing everything that he wouldn’t say aloud.

Mal then gazed at Cruella, her eyes hardened.

“Carlos is a smart, loving, caring, amazing human being that is not just a servant or a slave made to wait upon someone hand and foot. He knows so many things, and he is capable of so many things, and he _loves_ dogs. Carlos is very happy loving dogs and taking care of animals, so I support him one hundred percent,” Mal told Cruella, switching hands so that she could place one on Evie’s shoulder and another on Carlos’s head. She unhappily noticed that he was shivering, but he looked much more secure as Mal held his head in her gloved hand.

“But, of course, none of you would know about any of these things I’m talking about, would you? Because Evie is your perfect little girl that has to be stupid and is definitely ugly and has to wear makeup to even be remotely pleasing. Because Jay is your errand boy to go and steal anything and everything you want and cannot be anything but a thief for his entire life because he has to be like you. Because Carlos is your baby boy that does everything you want him to do and is a glorified slave and has no feelings, wants, or needs because he has to be your servant,” Mal pointed out to each of the parents, glaring at them each in turn as her eyes never stopped glowing that blinding shade of green.

“These three don’t have to be anything. They don’t have to be what you set forth for them to be, because all you guys have ever done is hurt them and make them feel as if they would never be anything.

“You guys never have supported them, and all I have ever done is support them,” Mal firmly told them, and she could feel soft quakes of Evie’s shoulders as she cried softly.

Mal removed her hand from Evie’s shoulder and gently wiped away Evie’s tears from her cheek with her thumb as she cupped Evie’s cheek. Evie leaned into Mal’s touch heavily and Mal felt her heart ache for the other girl. She squeezed Evie’s cheek ever so slightly, and then she placed her hand back on Evie’s shoulder.

“This is _my_ family,” Mal squeezed Evie’s shoulder possessively and scratched Carlos’s head as she pointed to Jay.

“What are they to you?” Mal left the question hanging, and the three parents were so shocked that they couldn’t say anything in response. Mal looked to the three VKs, and leaned down next to Evie’s ear.

“Guys, are you ready to go?” Mal asked quietly, and Evie nodded swiftly, wiping the tears from her face as she took Mal’s hand and Carlos’s hand and started to get up. Jay got up from his seat and placed his hand on Carlos’s shaking shoulder as they turned to leave.

“Hold on just a moment! What do _our_ children have to say about all this? You can’t speak for them!” Grimhilde indignantly announced, and the four VKs turned to face the parents. Mal moved her arm so that it was around Evie’s waist and Evie put her arms around Carlos’s and Mal’s waists. Jay had an arm thrown around Carlos’s shoulders.

Mal looked to the other three, squeezing Evie’s waist fondly as she tried to offer any strength that she could. Jay furrowed his brow and was about to speak up when Carlos suddenly started.

“W-well, I say that Mal’s right. You have no right to boss us around anymore, and well… I also say that these guys have been the ones supporting me all these years, and… And they’re my family,” Carlos expressed, that rare yet so true bravery shining through as he trembled. Cruella looked rather offended at his boldness, but he stood firmly despite his shaking. Mal smiled softly at him, and Evie held him a bit closer to her.

“I want to have the choice to be who I want to be. I don’t want to always be a lowlife thief, Dad. I have the opportunity to be something more. And if you can’t accept that, that’s okay. These three are my family,” Jay firmly expressed, his jaw set and his eyes hardened, and Carlos squeezed Jay’s shoulder. Jafar looked exceedingly disappointed, but Jay remained strong.

Evie took in a deep breath, and Mal leaned her head over and pressed it against Evie’s own. Mal knew how hard it was going to be for Evie to stand up to her mother. Evie was always so hopeful that her mother loved her deep down, despite the fact that she knew better. But Mal was willing to offer any support she could to the bluenette.

“And… I… I’m happy, Mommy. I’m happy with my business and without a prince and without a huge castle. I’m happy with these three as my family,” Evie explained, several tears slipping down her cheeks but her voice remaining just as firm as ever. Mal squeezed her tightly and pulled her head away from Evie’s to stare down the shocked trio of parents.

“So, your kids have spoken,” Mal simply told them, looking into the face of each one before the Core Four turned and left out the door.

They were quiet as could be until they finally left the Bargain Castle. It was then that they released each other, and Mal turned to Evie to embrace her. Evie clung to Mal as if she were Evie’s lifeline, and she rested her chin on Mal’s shoulder. Mal pressed her head against Evie’s shoulder and hugged the girl as firmly as she could possibly manage. Mal could now feel the sobs wracking Evie’s form, and she felt her heart ache for her sister.

Before long, Carlos and Jay had encircled the two girls in an embrace as well, and they were all just standing there holding each other.

“It’s okay, guys. It’s okay now. You said what you had to say, and you understand each other,” Mal whispered softly, and Evie nodded, her tears wetting Mal’s shoulder and neck. Mal could feel Carlos shaking, and Jay was as tensed up as could possibly be.

“You’re free,” Mal whispered, and Evie just squeezed Mal tighter as Jay’s arm slid a bit further around the girls and Carlos head pressed against the sides of Mal and Evie’s.

They were finally free from their parents. Free to do what they wanted, what they liked, and what they felt like rather than what someone else set forth for them to do.

It was finally Independence Day.


End file.
